Select the word that has the same meaning as the underlined phrase in the…
2026
Select the word that has the same meaning as the underlined phrase in the given sentence.
At the conference, the speaker was not only knowledgeable but also pleasant and at ease when talking to others, which made the session engaging.
Answer: C. affable — A synonym-substitution item is decided by semantic equivalence, not by whether a word merely sounds sophisticated in the slot. The replacement must carry the…
- A.
arbitrary
- B.
ideological
- C.
affable
- D.
immoral
Attempted by 6 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
A synonym-substitution item is decided by semantic equivalence, not by whether a word merely sounds sophisticated in the slot. The replacement must carry the same core sense as the whole underlined expression, belong to the same word class, and keep the same polarity. A phrase that describes how a person behaves towards other people can therefore only be replaced by an adjective of temperament — a word naming a personal disposition, not a word about how decisions are made, what someone believes, or how someone is judged ethically.
Applying that test here, the underlined phrase pleasant and at ease when talking to others names a temperament: a person who is warm in company and comfortable in conversation. Affable carries exactly this sense — it comes from Latin affabilis, "able to be spoken to", and standard dictionaries gloss it as friendly, good-natured and easy to talk to. It is also positive in polarity, which fits the "not only knowledgeable but also …" frame praising the speaker.
Contrasting the remaining words by their own meanings shows why none of them names a conversational manner:
arbitrary — based on random choice or personal whim rather than on reason or system. It qualifies decisions, rules and selections (an arbitrary deadline), not a person's bearing in company.
ideological — relating to a system of political, economic or social ideas. It qualifies beliefs, positions and disputes (an ideological divide), and says nothing about sociability.
immoral — not conforming to accepted standards of morality or honesty. It is an ethical judgement and negative in polarity, so it also clashes with the praising "not only … but also" frame.
Cross-check by substitution: "the speaker was not only knowledgeable but also affable" preserves the original meaning exactly, while the other three turn a remark about the speaker's manner into a remark about arbitrariness, politics or ethics. Hence affable is the word with the same meaning as the underlined phrase.